Compare And Contrast Sophocles Antigone And Crito

Plato’s “Crito” and Sophocles’ “Antigone” both argue that it is better to die than live life in a different way. Contrary to that, some would make the point that one should do anything to save one’s life even if it meant conforming to the common belief. I agree with both of these claims. I agree that a life lived with constant guilt is not worth living. Rather live your life how you want and you will be content with it. This is because life should be pleasant and if one spends their whole life regretting something they did not do then how can one be happy with themselves. Rather committing the act and looking at the big picture not just the present creates contentment and allows you to be content with your life even if it means death as a punishment. In Plato’s “Crito”, Socrates, who is convicted of spreading false beliefs to the youth in Athens is in an argument with his friend, Crito. Crito tries to convince Socrates of the reality of his sentence and that it would only make sense for him to escape. He gives many reasons of why escaping is necessary and moral. Crito states, Besides, Socrates, I

He states that if he were to escape he would not be living honorably which he describes in Plato 's “Apology” as living a unexamined life and to him he would much rather die. Socrates states, “one must not even do wrong when one is wronged, which most people regard as the natural course” (Plato, 268). Socrates even though his sentence maybe biased and not morally right still believes that he must follow what he is condemned to. Through this he implies that even if we are cheated of fairness we must still do what is honorable and not fight it. He explains that the majority of people in his case would justify it to escape because they were sentenced for something that is completely moral. I disagree with Socrates in that if I was in his place, I would gain freedom and face my enemies for they wronged